The “self” pronouns are constantly misused in written correspondence, including personal and professional letters and e-mails, interoffice memos, business reports, student papers, etc. They are also continuously misused in daily conversation. However, people can learn to avoid misusing the “self” pronouns by learning the rules that govern these pronouns’ usage.
What are the “Self” Pronouns?
There are eight “self” pronouns, five of which are singular, three of which are plural:
- Singular Forms: himself, herself, yourself, itself, myself.
- Plural Forms: ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
Moreover, these eight pronouns always act in either a reflexive or an intensive role within a sentence.
Usage of the Reflexive “Self” Pronouns
One creates a reflexive pronoun by adding “self” or “selves” to a personal pronoun, for example, by adding “self” to “him” (himself) or by adding “selves” to “them” (themselves). Moreover, reflexive pronouns are used either as direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of a preposition; and since they refer back to the subject of a sentence, reflexive pronouns cannot be omitted without making the meaning of the sentence unclear, for example:
- You might be able to fool other people, but you can never fool yourself. (“Yourself” is the direct object of the verb phrase “can never fool” and answers the question: Whom can you never fool?)
- Tom gave himself a haircut after drinking a six-pack and regretted it the next day. (The pronoun “himself’ is the indirect object, telling the reader to whom Tom gave a haircut. He gave it to himself.)
- Rhonda e-mailed a copy of the report to her boss and another to herself as backup. (The pronoun “herself” is the object of the preposition “to.” To whom did Rhonda send the report? She sent it to herself.)
- Donning the stylish outfits, Sue and I admired ourselves in the dressing room mirror. (“Ourselves” is the direct object of the verb “admired.” Whom did we admire? We admired ourselves.)
Usage of the Intensive “Self” Pronouns
Also known as emphatic reflexive pronouns, intensive pronouns are formed the same way as reflexive pronouns (by adding “self” or “selves” to a personal pronoun), but unlike reflexive pronouns, intensive pronouns are used strictly for emphasis and, therefore, can be omitted from a sentence without making the sentence’s meaning unclear, for example:
- I myself will take full responsibility for the failure of the company.
- Tom and Sue themselves wrote their wedding vows.
- Disregarding the coach’s tirade, the players themselves made the decision to forfeit the game.
- Myself, I prefer watching grass grow to watching reality shows.
- You yourself should tip the waitress since you invited everyone to the restaurant.
- Let’s wash the car ourselves and save money.
- Tom’s high school football trophy set by itself on top of the bookshelf.
How to Avoid Misusing “Myself” in Writing and Speaking
Of all the “self” pronouns, the one most often misused is “myself” because people mistakenly use it when they should be using the subjective or objective case of the personal pronoun. For example, someone might say or write the following:
- John and myself worked on the project last weekend until the wee hours of the morning.
- Tom grilled steaks for Sue, Harold, and myself.
- Send a copy of the report to both Frank and myself.
The sentences above should be written or spoken as follows:
- John and I worked on the project last weekend until the wee hours of the morning.
- Tom grilled steaks for Sue, Harold, and me.
- Send a copy of the report to both Frank and me.
The Key to Avoiding Misusing the “Self” Pronouns
The key to avoiding mistakes when using the “self” pronouns is to remember that when one is using an intensive or reflexive pronoun, the antecedent (the noun that the pronoun refers to) must be included in the sentence. If the antecedent is not included, one should use the subjective or objective case of the pronoun instead.
In summary, when writing or speaking, if people know the rules governing the usage of the “self” pronouns, they can avoid making mistakes that will detract from the precision and, ultimately, the power of their written or spoken messages.
Related Articles:
- “Using Pronouns Correctly,” addresses the different pronoun forms and the rules governing their usage.
- “Commonly Confused Words,” looks at some of the words writers and speakers most often misuse and provides tips for how to use them correctly.
- “When to Use A Comma,” provides rules to help writers use commas correctly and to avoid superfluous commas.
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
